Curated OER
Finding the Main Idea: Little Women
Whether or not your class is reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, you can use this exercise as the basis of a mini-lesson on how to determine the main idea of a passage or as a pre-test to assess mastery of the skill. A graphic...
Curated OER
When Johnny Went Marching Off...
Eighth graders explore Civil War campaigns. In this Civil War activity, 8th graders collaborate and conduct research to create presentations that focus on specific Union or Confederate generals and battles. Students take on the roles of...
Curated OER
Brutal British
Young scholars read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
Curated OER
West Virginia State Museum Lesson Plan
Students explore historic West Virginia. In this US history lesson plan, students examine primary sources and political cartoons that depict the issues of statehood for West Virginia and the role that those played in the Civil War. This...
Curated OER
Secession: A Southern Perspective
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. For this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
PBS
Primary Source Set: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What did Jo write her stories with? How did the March sisters dress? A primary source set designed for Louisa May Alcott's Little Women prompts learners to look over images of household items and clothes from the 1860s before engaging in...
Curated OER
American Women Who Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Explored Through the Literature of Eloise Greenfield
Examine the women who contributed to the Civil Rights movement. In groups, children read excerpts of writings from Eloise Greenfield and research the women she mentions using the internet. To end the lesson, they create a timeline of...
Curated OER
The Role of Women in the Civil War
Students, in groups, research specific websites to find what roles women filled during the Civil War. They discuss the roles and create a multimedia presentation for a slide show.
Middle Tennessee State University
Fights, Freedom, and Fraud: Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era
As part of a study of post Civil War era, young historians investigate the changes in voting rights during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1876), the fraud involved in the Hayes-Tilden presidential election of 1876, and efforts by Pap...
Curated OER
The Civil War Homefront
Students examine the human cost of war on both sides of the Civil War. Using the internet, they research the role of women on the homefront and the impact the war had on families. They also read the novel "Across Five Aprils" and discuss...
Curated OER
Civil War Museum Exhibit
Fourth graders summarize the participation of Indiana citizens in the Civil War. They research an assigned topic and build a museum exhibit that displays at least five points of information relating to the topic. Students write a...
Curated OER
Looking at the Civil War through the lens of local history." Teaching
Young scholars research life in Plymouth during the Civil War. Using the internet and other resources, students examine the historical effects of the Civil War. In groups, they publish a newspaper explaining the events of the day.
Curated OER
Battle Flags: Michigan and the Civil War Optional Research Assignment
Students research an aspect of Michigan's involvement in the Civil War and prepare a two page research paper. They present their research findings in a news style presentation while role playing parts of a news team.
Curated OER
Women in the War
Students make decisions about how best to deal with or resolve dilemmas during the Civil War. In this women in war lesson, students word in groups to discuss how a given dilemma could be handled. Groups elect a spokesperson to report to...
PBS
Act of Duty
PBS provides educators with this "Utilization Guide," a four segment program that covers the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. The 42-page packet includes lessons, background...
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman Warns "Kill the Snake Before It Kills You"
Harriet Tubman developed a rich extended metaphor for slavery and the imperative for Lincoln to abolish it in this dictated letter from 1862. Young historians read the original document and interpret Tubman's allegory with a pair of...
Curated OER
Children's Attitudes about Slavery and Women's Abolitionism as Seen through Antislavery Fairs
Learners examine attitudes of children from the North growing up during the time of slavery. Using documents, they discover how abolitionists tried to change people's ideas of using slaves. They explore how women used antislavery fairs...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Photograph of Clara Barton
Just who was Clara Barton? Using an archive photo from the National Archives, class members consider the legacy of the founder of the American Red Cross. The activity includes the photograph, along with prompts to help young scholars...
Curated OER
Criminal or Hero
Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...
PBS
Women's History: Clara Barton
Students investigate Clara Barton's contributions to society. In this Clara Barton lesson plan, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding Clara Barton's life and her possible authorship of a Civil War...
Curated OER
Soldier Emily
Students explore the role of women as soldiers during the Civil War period.
They read about a young Brooklyn woman who concealed her identity to
join the army and imagine how her family or fellow soldiers responded. They role play a...
Curated OER
Connecting Past and Present...Virtues of Military Veterans
Middle schoolers explore personalities of those who served as medical personnel in American Civil War, compare qualities those troops possessed to qualities shown by troops currently serving in Armed Forces, and express appreciation to...
Curated OER
Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker
Pupils research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history instructional activity, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Pupils review the South...
Curated OER
Memorials and Meaning
Students explore the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson plan, students collaborate to research the war. They examine Matthew Brady photographs that inspire them to create a memorial to honor those who served in the Civil War.